PACF: Community Action Grants

The PACF Community Action Grants support nonprofits in West Virginia through a competitive grant process twice a year. Grants up to $20,000 are available for diverse fields such as Arts, Education, and Community Development. Organizations must be 501(c)(3) entities serving the Foundation's 11-county area. Projects addressing community needs and enhancing organizational capacity are prioritized, especially in areas with limited support options. Interested applicants should ensure project eligibility before applying.

Thanks to the generosity of individuals, families, and businesses, our Foundation administers several opportunities for nonprofits in our region to apply for financial support. Each opportunity is unique. This is because the donors who established the funds have thoughtfully constructed areas of focus and parameters for support to fulfill their own visions for improving the quality of life in our community.
Twice a year the Foundation's competitive grant process matches community needs with grants available from the Foundation's Unrestricted and Field of Interest Funds.
Generally, the largest grant that will be considered is 20,000. Requests for more than $20,000 may be considered for projects that are highly collaborative or have regional broad-scale impact; you must contact the Foundation prior to submitting a request in excess of $20,000.
What are the PACF’s Funding Priorities?
Community Action Grants are made in the fields of:

• Arts and Culture, Education, Health and Human Services, Recreation, Youth and Family Services, and Community and Economic Development.
• The Foundation focuses on:
• Capital and Equipment Projects, Program Development, Capacity Building, and Operating Support.
• Eligibility criteria differ based on the type of support requested, so please review the following descriptions carefully.
• Capital and Equipment
• Support the renovation or construction of facilities, purchase of major equipment, major repairs to facilities.
• Program Development
• Support the development of new services or programs designed to respond to unmet community needs and the expansion of existing programs to serve new audiences.
• Capacity Building

Support projects that provide an organization with technical assistance and/or training to be able to more effectively meet their mission and/or provide services.
Operating Support
Support projects designed to: Increase financial stability (Type 1); Help a strong organization increase its capacity (Type 2). The Foundation expects to award only a limited number of operating support grants each grant cycle.
Funding Priorities
Priority is given to projects that serve communities where the PACF and its affiliates are the only community foundation in operation. Priority counties for Foundation support are: Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt and Wood Counties in West Virginia.
Priority is given to projects that:

• have significant impact on the people and communities served by the applicant organization;
• reach new audiences, expand existing programs or services, or respond to emerging needs;
• strengthen the organization’s capacity to deliver its services and meet community needs;
• are well-planned and can reasonably be achieved;
• have a matching grant opportunity or seek a matching grant to leverage more funding;
• have limited access to other sources of support;

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Community Action Grant, an applicant must be a private, nonprofit organization tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or a public institution, such as a public school or government agency.  The programs the PACF considers for support must be located in the Foundation’s 11- county service area or must directly benefit the residents in its service area.The PACF serves ten West Virginia counties (Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Jackson, Mason, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt, and Wood) and Washington County, Ohio.Grant applicants also must have completed their most recent grant-funded project in order to be eligible for another grant. Completion of the project means that the payment request and final report have been submittedFor all operating support requests, the applicant must:Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (operating support is not available to governmental entities, schools (public or private), or entities that do not have 501(c)(3) status);Provide essential community services or offer programs that meet basic human needs;Have been in continuous operation for at least five years and have a proven track record;Have an overall sound financial history (at least prior to the present need);Be able to demonstrate strong management;Have previously received support from the Foundation. Applicants seeking Type 1 operating support (to increase financial stability), must:Document increased demand for services, unexpected reduction in sources of ongoing operating support, or a specific current financial challenge for which a plan is in place to mitigate;Show evidence of completion of an internal process of cost-reduction and/or realistic revenue enhancement analysis focused on core service preservation prior to the request. Develop a realistic plan for financial stabilization.Show how the operating support grant will increase financial stability and/or help the organization make significant progress toward addressing its financial challenge. Applicants seeking Type 2 operating support (to increase organizational capacity), must:Present a realistic plan for organizational growth, outlining how operating support is critical to the growth plan (to expand services, offer new programs, reach new audiences, etc.).Include a plan for the organization to have adequate funding at the completion of the grant

Ineligibility

Requests from individuals are not accepted.Generally, Community Action Grants will not be made for:annual campaigns; endowments;sectarian religious purposes;political purposes or lobbying activities;retiring existing obligations, debts or liabilities;student travel or student participation in meetings, seminars or study exchange programs.Organizations may submit only one application per grant cycle. Organizations receiving a Community Action Grant in any grant cycle from an entity that is part of PACF are not eligible for funding in the immediate next cycle from that same entity but may be considered for support from other entities.After an application is declined once, the organization may re-submit the application one time; if an application has been declined twice, then the organization may not submit another request for funding of the same project.